A Legacy Unforgotten
by Kiiroi Senko
Summary: Naruto has to control Kyūbi's chakra. Only a mysterious Jounin who is bound to nothing but a pain-filled past, and a fate worse than Naruto's own, can help him. This is their story: one of pain, acceptance, faith, and purpose. Semi-OC-centric.


**Disclaimer: I do NOT own Naruto… Kishimoto Masashi does… This fic is written by Kiiroi Senkō. All OCs and original jutsu belong to me. :)**

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Speech Notes:

"Yo…" – normal speech

'_Yo…'_ – thoughts

**"Yo..."** – demon speech

_**"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"**_ - jutsu

Anyways... on with the fic!

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**Chapter 1: The Wind of a New Beginning**

It was in the dead of night. The entire Konohagakure no Sato – the Hidden Leaf Village – was asleep…

Yet a lone young man was still up, leaning back on a chair located next to the window of his bedroom. It was just one of those nights… one of those nights when his nightmares kept him from sleeping. They happened quite often… and every time, it left him awake throughout the entire night.

No one should have been awake. There shouldn't have been anyone awake… yet it was at that moment that a presence disturbed the tranquility surrounding the young man's home. His eyes seemingly glinted as they scanned the night sky for the intruder.

It did not take long until the young man spotted a messenger bird coming in close. He extended a hand, allowing the small bird to land on his finger. It took the man no more than one glance to notice a small note was tied around its leg.

Taking the note and sending the bird back to its origin, the man flicked a switch on a desk, opening a single lamp that gave light to the neat, spacious room, and revealed two things: a Konoha hitai-ate wrapped around his right bicep, and his appearance. Strong, youthful features, silver hair that contrasted itself on opposite ends – long and flowing down his back, yet spiky and messily arranged up top – and blue eyes as deep as the ocean itself. Those same eyes that were just a moment earlier as sharp as a hawk's eyes… were now like windows into the young shinobi's very soul.

Those same eyes quickly widened after the shinobi read the note once. He read it again, slowly this time, just to be sure… but there was no doubt. This, indeed… was serious.

'_The kitsune's shroud manifested itself while the chosen one was on a mission… Come to the tower tomorrow.'_

The young shinobi looked out the window, and uttered a single sentence.

"Uzumaki Naruto… what happened out there?"

* * *

_The next day..._

It was a sleepy morning in Konohagakure.

A young man strode through the soon-to-be-busy streets of Konoha, his gait and poise exuding an air of confidence that could capture anyone who passed him by. His shining blue eyes seemed to portray more emotion than his facial features did, and if one looked close enough, you could see the deep and distant pain long since buried by a mask of professionalism. Artfully framing the young man's strong, youthful features were locks of long, spiky silver hair, the back of which was tied into a ponytail that seemed to flow with each movement the man made.

He wore a stylish azure trench coat on the back of which the kanji for 'Courage' and 'Justice' were embroidered in elegant gold trim. His Konoha hitai-ate adorned the sleeve of his right arm and underneath the trench coat could be seen a pitch-black combat vest and matching combat trousers. He was dressed to kill, and obviously do so in style. This was the unique combat-ready attire of choice that belonged to Minamoto Ryūta, Jōnin of Konohagakure.

To complete the outfit, he donned well-worn, but functional, ebony half-finger gloves on his hands, along with customized, closed versions of the traditional shinobi sandals. His clothing was all custom-made to handle the most extreme conditions and to make sure enemies remembered him, if they lived, that is.

He knew practicality and functionality were essential for the shinobi lifestyle, but even shinobi had their days when they could kick back, relax… and get called upon by their leader. Great. It was his last day off before a _two-month long_ mission, and the Sandaime Hokage just HAD to go ruin it by sending him a summons. Wonderful.

He strode purposefully up into the Hokage Tower, stopping only to confirm his appointment with the secretary. Not wasting any more time, he continued on his way, ignoring any glances that other shinobi may have sent his way.

At the top of the tower, Ryūta stopped right before the door, giving only a curt knock on the wood to signify his presence before opening it. Within the room, Hiruzen Sarutobi was already waiting, having anticipated him long before he had announced his presence. Yet they were not alone. Two others were already there along with the old Hokage, sitting on a couch off to one side of the large, cluttered office.

One had silver hair like Ryūta's own, except that the man's hair oddly leaned to the left. A mask covered his face from the nose down, and his Konoha hitai-ate was worn on his forehead, yet slanted to cover his left eye. His clothing was standard Konoha shinobi apparel, nothing fancy and nothing special, save the mask that leaves the unanswered question of 'How does this guy eat without letting people see his face?'

He looked up from the orange-covered book he was reading as the younger shinobi gave him his silent appraisal. On the cover was the title in Katakana… Icha Icha Paradise. Ryūta let a small, amused smile cross his face. That was an adult romance novel, and possibly pornographic, written by the Gama-sennin, Jiraiya.

"Yo, Ryūta-kun. How've you been?" the seated man asked with what people referred to as the "eye smile", for the simple fact that his crinkled eye was the only part of his face that you could see. Then again, that was the unique trademark of Hatake Kakashi, the Copycat-nin of Konoha, and a crinkled eye usually indicated a grin or a smile from the veteran Jōnin. The man's face has never been seen by anyone, and, until today, remains a mystery, from Hokage to ANBU and anyone else in the village.

"Kakashi-san," Ryūta greeted slowly, as precise and stingy with his words as he always was. "I heard your new team just came off assignment from Nami no Kuni." Ryūta has known Kakashi for a long time, ever since he'd started out as a mere Genin. That was... 11? 12 years ago? Ryūta frowned at that train of thought – he wasn't particularly fond of dwelling in the past. Learning from it, yes. Dwelling in it, no, not in a million years.

Beside Kakashi sat everyone's favorite blond Genin, both his cheeks adorned with three whisker marks. His bright cerulean eyes were full of life and, much like Ryuta's own, seemed to be a window into the boy's soul. He was a prankster who held a hidden demon with an attitude problem. Though he possessed natural skill, there was still something questionable about wearing a jumpsuit in an eye-hurting orange color. Seriously. He was TRYING to become a target.

It was, of course, the No. 1 Hyperactive Shinobi of Konoha, Uzumaki Naruto, known to a select few as the Jinchūriki of the Kyūbi no Yōkō.

"Yeah, we just came back from a mission! You should've seen me out there! I really kicked some butt, dattebayo!" he shouted, giving Ryūta a ridiculous grin as he pointed his thumb at himself. Ryūta, however, had heard from the Sandaime himself: there had been no casualties aside from Momochi Zabuza's former employer Gato, who died by Zabuza's hand. Ryūta inwardly sighed. The boy wasn't emotionally and mentally ready to carry the burden of taking lives. No one was ready on their first time.

No one ever would be, no matter how many times they did it. Not Sarutobi, not Kakashi… and not himself.

"Oh? Is that so… Kakashi?" Ryūta said with a raised eyebrow, his eyes shining with amusement.

"Yare, yare… I suppose he did much better than I expected from him, considering it was his first A-Rank Mission. He actually got me out of a fix one time," Kakashi admitted, the 'eye smile' once again on what you could see of his face.

Naruto was about to reply when he was cut off by Sarutobi. A clearing of a throat stopped all chatter, and all attention was focused on Sarutobi. The Sandaime formed a hand seal, which stopped all sound from leaving the room.

"That's enough, you three. The reason I asked you all to be here is for something important. Kakashi, please inform Ryūta of what happened. This is of great importance to all of Konoha. We need some sort of plan, and who better to consult than Ryūta concerning this particular topic?" Sarutobi said from where he had sat silently for most of the conversation.

"It's the Kyūbi's chakra… isn't it? I mean… why else would you ask for me, especially when it concerns Uzumaki Naruto?" Ryūta suddenly asked gravely, icily. There was a sudden, unbearable, icy pressure emanating from the young Jōnin, enough that everyone in the building could feel the growing tension.

Naruto himself looked apprehensive. He was assuming this guy was just another Jōnin. The fact that he knew about Naruto's secret and was the Sandaime's first choice for consultation sent him reeling inside.

Kakashi sighed, his one visible eye closed. This was going to be stressful. It was a minute before he opened his eye and replied.

"Hai. Some of it was able to leak out during our battle against Momochi Zabuza and Haku, after Uchiha Sasuke was put in a near-catatonic state. The chakra was able to partially seize control of Naruto's body and mind, and the problem is that it was only a very small leak of chakra…" Kakashi said gravely. He continued his narration of everything that had happened leading up to, and during, the bloody battle. Naruto remained silent, though his eyes betrayed everything the boy was feeling as they welled up.

""Souka…" Ryūta said as he narrowed his eyes, moving to look out the window and gaze at the vast, blue sky.

So far, everything he had assumed had been confirmed. _'The only thing I can be thankful for... is that it happened outside the village…'_ he thought, closing his eyes in silent contemplation. The silver-haired Jōnin knew very well what Naruto was going through. He himself had been through hell and back more times than he could imagine, and could relate quite well.

Hiruzen Sarutobi waited a while as Ryūta thought the situation over.

'_He knows how serious this is. He has a fate similar to Naruto's own… I believe he'll know what to do about this…'_ the elderly Hokage thought.

It was a few more seconds before the eighteen year-old Jōnin spoke once again.

"I have some ideas," he said at last. "There _is_ something I can do to help Naruto here control the Kyūbi's chakra. However, I have an assignment lined up that'll take me to Sunagakure. I'm leaving tomorrow, and I'll only be back a few days before the Chūnin Exams starts. That's around two months from now."

At this, the Hokage sighed, while Kakashi and Naruto seemed even more depressed. That reaction was to be expected. No better time than now to reveal the plan he'd devised over the course of his sleepless night.

"Well, I guess I'll have to try by myself. We'll-," Kakashi said.

"Wait, back up there, Kakashi," Ryūta said, cutting off Kakashi. The masked man regarded his fellow Jōnin with a look of confusion, his one visible eyebrow raised questioningly. That eye was the indicator of what Kakashi was thinking and feeling... during the times he wasn't covering his true thoughts and feelings.

"I didn't say I wouldn't help him. With both your permissions," he said, nodding at Kakashi and Sarutobi in turn, "I'd like to take Naruto with me. In return, I'll also go and take on that mission to meet up with Jiraiya-sama after he finds Tsunade-sama. It will be simple enough for us to come to an agreement that we'd meet at Sunagakure, and I'm sure that two of the Sannin could help Naruto improve exponentially. In the meantime, I'll be instructing him, and some outside experience can help him. One-on-one training means undivided attention and that in turn means Naruto's growth here will be three times faster than if he simply continued as is."

At this, the Hokage nodded, while Kakashi gave the 'eye smile'. Naruto, however, was instantly all over Ryūta, enfolding him in a giant hug, seemingly trying his very best to squeeze every last drop of oxygen from the Jōnin.

"ARIGATOU, SHINOBI-SAN! I WON'T LET YOU DOWN! I PROMISE, DATTEBAYO!" he said with child-like excitement that seemed almost comical.

"Yes, yes, you're welcome, now will you please get off of me!" the Jōnin said. When the blond finally let go, Ryūta took a moment to smooth out his coat. When he was satisfied with the state of his clothing, he nodded to himself, before he spoke again.

"Now that that's settled… Naruto!"

"H-hai!"

"We leave for Sunagakure tomorrow, so run along and get your things ready, alright?" the young Jōnin said.

Naruto was about to go, but stopped, a quizzical expression on his face.

"Uh… Shinobi-san?" he asked.

"Hai?" Ryūta replied.

"I… never got your name…" he said.

Ryūta almost facepalmed. How… careless of him. He almost sighed, but he controlled the impulse and instead put on an amicable face. Trust built itself on first meetings, after all.

"Well, as you no doubt can tell, I'm a Jōnin. My name is Minamoto Ryūta…" he said, bowing slightly. "I… apologize for not introducing myself earlier. It's a pleasure, Uzumaki Naruto."

Naruto grinned widely, finally having a name to pin to the face, and sudden recognition dawned on his face.

"Wait, you're THE Minamoto Ryūta?" Naruto suddenly shouted. "You're… you're like some sort of legend at the Academy! I get to be trained by you? Sugoi!"

Ryūta sighed through the boys cheering. "All right, that's enough out of you," he said. "Now that I've introduced myself, you should go and prepare all the supplies and equipment you might need for a three-day trip to Sunagakure. All right?"

Naruto grinned and nodded, before racing out the door. Ryūta watched Naruto go, and sighed before turning back to Kakashi and Sarutobi. He had a feeling that he might be making a _big_ mistake.

"I… suppose you can… leave Naruto in my hands, now that it's come to this. Well, as long as you approve, that is," Ryūta said.

"Heh, well, I suppose Naruto made the decision for me and for Hokage-sama… I don't think we have a choice," Kakashi said, chuckling lightly.

The Sandaime merely smiled before saying, "Ah… he's a handful. I hope you're ready, Ryūta."

Ryuta sighed once again. He knew of Naruto's hyperactive personality and his tendency for pranks. Wonderful. This was going to be a LONG two months.

"Now, if you'll excuse me… I have to go and prepare for my mission. I'll see you guys tomorrow. If you need me, you can find me at home," he said before performing the _**Konoha-Shunshin no Jutsu**_ and disappearing in a swirl of leaves.

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_That night…_

"So, you're taking him with you to Suna…" a blond-haired man said, his white cloak billowing around him.

"That's right. He'll need to learn to control the Kyuubi's chakra eventually anyways. I believe that now is as good a time as any," Ryūta replied. "Since the shroud has manifested itself already, there won't be much time left. He needs to master that chakra before it masters him."

The two men stood in the courtyard of the now nearly-deserted Miyamoto Compound, the night wind slowly flowing around them.

The blond-haired man grinned. "That's a mountain of a task you're setting there. You certainly seem confident that you can pull it off," he remarked.

"I _can't_ pull it off, you know that. I'm simply a container, an empty shell. You know what happens when I try to use it. Only you or Jiraiya-sama can teach him how to control that kind of chakra," Ryūta replied, before his eyes softened, abandoning their piercing gaze and reflecting a hollow pain in them. "I'm doing this because… because…"

The blonde man nodded in understanding, placing a hand on Ryūta's shoulder. "You should rest up tonight. The boy _is_ a handful, after all," he said before disappearing in a swirl of leaves, leaving Ryūta alone to ponder his thoughts. He took a deep breath, and let out an incredibly weary sigh, suddenly seeming much older than his age of eighteen years.

"It's still too early for this…" Ryūta said as he gazed up at the night sky. "This shouldn't have had to happen yet…"

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Elsewhere, at the Ichiraku Ramen Bar, Naruto was chatting with Kakashi over some ramen.

"Naruto, you have an incredible opportunity, learning from Ryūta-san… Take everything he teaches you to heart. His early training was handled by the Yondaime, who was my sensei as well. He's at the very least as strong as me, and he's very good at what he does. Do you understand?" Kakashi said to Naruto as they sat at the Ichiraku Ramen Shop's counter.

"Yeah, I got it, Kakashi-sensei. Just watch, I'll learn all sorts of super strong jutsu, then come back and be one step closer to being Hokage!" Naruto replied before downing the last bowl of Ichiraku Ramen he would have for a while.

"Naruto, when you get back, I hope you're even closer to your dream. Ryūta-san is one of the best there is. I'm actually going to miss your presence in our team, but he sees your potential, just the way Hokage-sama and I do. So, give him nothing if not your best, you got it?" Kakashi said as he gave his student a pat on the back.

"Yosh! I won't let you two down, Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto said as he stood up.

"Thanks for the ramen, Teuchi-jiisan, Ayame-chan! See you in two months!" he shouted before running out. The two ramen stand workers waved at the blonde genin, silently praying for his safety.

'_Naruto… you're so full of energy, it's almost funny, but I know you're going to be a wonderful shinobi…'_ Kakashi thought as he prepared to head home himself. _'Oh, and… __I hope you enjoyed the ramen tonight… you won't be having it for a while…'_

_

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_

_The next day…_

"Ah… looks like you two are ready to go," the Sandaime said, a gentle, grandfatherly smile on his face.

Ryūta and Naruto were ready to leave, their baggage already stored in one of the many sealing scrolls that Ryūta kept on his person. Seeing them off were the rest of Team 7, along with Iruka and the Sandaime.

"Oi, Sasuke-teme! When I get back, I'm gonna make you eat the dust, dattebayo!" Naruto said proudly, pointing his finger at the dark-haired Uchiha survivor.

Sasuke simply snorted while brandishing the trademark Uchiha smirk. Sakura was about to explode, but, surprisingly, Sasuke held out his hand and gave a very rare grin.

"You're a dobe, but you're my teammate, Naruto. Come back in one piece, because I'm the only one who's allowed to take you apart," he said.

Naruto simply grinned and took Sasuke's hand in a firm grip, with Sakura placing both her hands on top of theirs.

'_Heh, come back the same, but stronger, dobe. That way, I can truly test my limits, and maybe… just maybe… you'll be the one I can call my rival,'_ Sasuke thought.

'_Though you're a baka, you're actually a great friend, Naruto. When you get back, I hope I've gotten stronger. Strong enough to be worthy of being called the teammate of both you and Sasuke-kun,'_ Sakura thought.

"So, Naruto, have you finished your good-byes? We DO have to get to Sunagakure, you know," Ryūta said as he finished his talk with the Hokage.

"Naruto, I hope you come back safe, and stronger than when you left. You're going to a foreign shinobi village, so do us proud!" Hiruzen said with a wide smile.

"No matter how strong you get, you're still the dobe, got it?" Sasuke said as the team's hands parted.

"Good luck! Sasuke-kun and I will train much harder than before!" Sakura said, smiling at Naruto.

"See you soon, Naruto," Iruka said, pulling Naruto into a tight hug.

"Come back with a bunch of new jutsu. That way, you'll make yourself and your team stronger. Make me proud, Naruto," Kakashi said, giving the blond Genin an 'eye smile'.

"Ryūta," the Hokage said, addressing Konoha's youngest Jōnin elite.

"Hai, Hokage-sama?" Ryūta replied.

"… Train him well. He has the potential for greatness," the old man said, grinning.

"You don't need to tell me that. I'm going to run him to the ground with training. He'll go through hell so many times that that ANBU training course will look like a playground for children," Ryūta said with a straight face, a dangerous glint lighting up his eyes. He then turned to Naruto. Said blond gulped, almost ready to run for his life, but Ryūta's next words proved contrary to his previous ones.

"Well, if you've said your good-byes... we should get going, Naruto. Time is not something I can waste, unfortunately, so you'd best start moving if you don't want to get left behind," he said as he turned away and began the long trek to Sunagakure, his voice carrying an 'I-don't-have-time-to-waste-so-let's-go' tone.

Naruto nodded, waving at his small 'family' before running off after Minamoto Ryuta. Sunagakure would be a good three days away, and would not be getting any closer after all.

"Hey, Ryūta-sensei! Wait up!" he called out.

'_Sensei, huh…?'_ Ryūta thought, a small smile crossing his lips. _'I really hope I can live up to that.'_

Chapter 1: End.

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Japanese Translation Notes:

"Nami no Kuni" - "Land of Waves"

"Hai" – "Yes"

"Souka" – "I see/ I understand"

"Arigatou" – "Thank you"

"Baka" – "Idiot/ Fool"

Jutsu Notes:

_**Shunshin no Jutsu (Body Flicker Technique)**_ - _(Series)_ - This D-Rank jutsu is a high-speed movement technique, allowing a ninja to move short-long distances at an almost untraceable speed. To an observer, it appears as if the user has teleported. A puff of smoke is occasionally used to disguise the user's movements. It is accomplished by using chakra to temporarily boost the user's reflexes. The amount of chakra required depends on the overall distance between the user and their intended destination. The Body Flicker technique has various variations among the different hidden villages, all of which involve some extra element aside from the movement itself. The extra element is usually some sort of substance used to distract the opponent, such as leaves or sand. For example, Ryūta used the _**Konoha-Shunshin no Jutsu**_, as shown by the appearance of swirling leaves.

**Update no Jutsu!**

**Anyways, this is a rewrite. I've changed some content, but more importantly… I've taken out one of the holes that may have screwed me over down the line. At any rate, this story is only my side project, because I'm still working on my Gundam SEED fic, but I'll try to pull an update out as regularly as possible.**

**Oh, one last thing. Do note that just because the main characters are Naruto and Temari... does NOT mean the pairing itself may be NaruTema. Just a quick reminder. I'm tempted to do a NaruHina with this one, actually. Let me know what you think. I'll set up a poll, so you guys can give me your input.  
**

**For everyone's benefit, I will try to update as soon as humanly possible.**

**Update no Jutsu, Kai!**

**Next time: Miyamoto Ryūta, Konoha's Master of Blades  
**

**- Kiiroi Senkō**


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